Cremating-furnace.



i PATENTED- APR. 18, 1905. H. E. BRETT & A. B. BENTON.

GREMATING FURNACE.

APPLIGATION FILED NOV. 7, 1901.

2 SHEETS-SHBBT 1.

W777Z3 n UNITED STATES Patented April 18, 1905.

PATENT OFFICE.

HENRY E. BRETT AND ARTHUR H. BENTON, OF LOS ANGELES, GALI- FORNIA, ASSIGNORS OF ONE-THIRD TO WILLIAM LE MOYN E INILLS,

OF LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA.

CREMATlNG-FURNACE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 787,432, dated April 18, 1905.

Application filed November 7,1901. Serial No. 81,510.

To all, whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, HENRY E. BRETT and will be capable of being economically opererated and will be particularly adapted for use in towns or small cities where thecrernations are not numerous.

Another object of the invention is to provide for the use of a liquid gaseous fuel and also to provide by slight modification for the use of solid fuel.

A further object of this invention is to provide for the cremation of human bodies in an efficient and economical manner and to provide a furnace having an updraft and only one lire, combustion, and warming chamber.

It is also an object of this invention to produce a furnace which will belargelyregenerative.

ith these and other objects in View the invention consists, essentially, in the construction, combination, and arrangement of parts, substantially as more fully described in the following specification and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, forming part of this application, in which Figure 1 is a front elevational view of a furnace constructed in accordance with this invention. Fig. 2 is a rear elevational view of the same. Fig. 3 is a horizontal sectional view taken on line 3 3 of Fig. 1. Fig. i is a vertical transverse sectional view taken on line 4: 4 of Fig. 3. Fig. 5 is a vertical longitudinal sectional view taken on line 5 5 of Figs. 3 and 4,

and Fig. 6 is a detail View of a peep-hole or observation device.

Similar characters of reference designate corresponding parts throughout the several views.

Referring to the drawings, and particularly to Figs. 3 and 5 thereof, there is illustrated a portion of a wall or partition 1, desirably separating the furnace proper from an anteroom or chapel, and the wall is preferably constructed with an opening 2 for the introduction of the body to be cremated and constructed of sufficient size to permit the passage of the furnace-door therethrough when it is desired to remove the same for repairs or otherwise, and secured in said Wall around said opening is a frame 3, preferably supporting a face or finishing plate 4:, having a central opening 5, which plate can readily be removed to permit the passage of the furnacedoor, as described. To said plate on the inside of the wall 1 are desirably secured parallel guides 6, constructed to receive a door 7 which may be formed of a body portion of sheet metal covered with asbestos or like material to prevent the heating of the door and of the adjoining chapel or anteroom. The door 7 is preferably provided with a counterweighted chain 8, which passes over a sheave or roller 9 upon the inside of the wall 1, substantially as shown in Fig. 5 of the drawings.

The furnace proper is desirably constructed of an outer wall 10, preferably supported by buckstaves and rods 11 and 12, and a chimney or stack 13 is desirably formed on or connected with the furnace proper, and in the chimney is constructed a damper or valve 14, Figs. 2, 4E, and 5, to regulate the escape of the products of combustion up the chimney and preferably provided with a bell-crank lever 15, having a weighted arm 16 and an arm 17, to which is connected a pull-rope 18, passing over a sheave or roller 19 to operate the damper. The front of the furnace is preferably constructed with an opening 20, registering or coinciding with the opening 5 in the finishingplate a, so that the body to' be cremated can be introduced into the furnace proper through said openings, and the opening 20 is preferably faced with a metal casing 21, Figs. 1 and 5, carrying guides or ways 22, constructed to receive a brick-lined door 23, desirably having a peep-hole 24 and having connected thereto a rope or cable 25, passing over sheaves or rollers 26 and 27 upon a frame or support 28, Fig. 1, and carrying a counterweight 29, beyond which said rope or cable 25 is preferably connected with a shaft 30, mounted in a hearing 31 upon the wall 1 and in a bracket 32 upon the buckstaves 11, Figs. 1, 2, and 3, and carrying a pawl-and-ratchet device 33, Fig. 2, and a crank 34, by means of which the shaft may be turned and held against unintentional reverse rotation. Upon or adjacent to the easing 21 are secured arms or brackets 35, carrying an antifriction device or roller 36, constructed to facilitate the introduction of the body into the furnace, and said arms may also serve to guide and retain the bottom of the door in proper position.

The rear Wall of the furnace may be provided with an opening 37, wherein is preferably located a sleeve or tube 38, Figs. 5 and 6, formed on or connected with a flanged end 39, carrying guides or ways 40 to receive a slide 41, having a transparent portion 42, whereby the process of cremation may be observed without opening the furnace, as will be readily understood, and the rear Wall may be provided with another opening 48, Figs. 2 and 5. to afford access to the fire-chamber and to the burner, and the opening 43 may be closed by a fire-door 44 of any preferred construction.

Within and at a distance from the outside or exterior wall 10, so as to form a dead-air chamber 45, there is constructed, preferably from fire-brick or other refractory material, a lining 46, and chambers or compartments are preferably constructed from said material within the first-mentioned wall.

In the front wall of the furnace proper is preferably formed an opening 47, Figs. 1, 4, and 5, communicating with a longitudinallydisposed Warming-chamber or air-duct 48, communicating with a flue or passage 49, preferably extending across the rear lower end of the furnace and provided with a damper or other device 50 to control the inlet of warmed air to the furnace.

Above the warming-chamber 48 and preferably constructed of refractory material 46 is a fire-chamber 51, having lateral ports or openings 52, communicating with the vertical transverse flue 49, so that the warmed air from the latter passes up and laterally into the firechamber 51, preferably just above a burner or other device 53 in the rear end of the firechamber, having suitable supply connections,

ings 57 in the incinerating-chamber 58, at the front end whereof the flames or currents of consuming medium enter from each side and impinge or contact with each other and form an eddying or circular current which will circulate over and around the body in the incinerating-chamber, thereby completely consuming the same. The incineratingchamber is preferably located directly above the firechamber 51 and occupies the central portion of the furnace, and here it is that the body to be cremated is placed, it being understood that the floor or bottom of the incineratingchamber 58 will be heated by the flame or consuming medium in the fire-chamber 51 below and that the flame or consuming medium traverses the incinerating-chamber from the front to the rear thereof over and around the body therein. From the incinerating-chamber the flame or consuming medium preferably passes into an upper vertical flue or passage 59, desirably extending across the end of the furnace and communicating with a longitudinal combustion chamber or passage 60, constructed above the incinerating-chamber and communicating with the chimney or stack 13, substantially as shown.

The operation of this invention will be readily understood from the foregoing description when taken in connection with the accompanying drawings and the following explanation thereof. The wall 1 is preferably located at a distance from the front of the furnace proper, so that an air-space is formed therebetween, through which the air passes into and through the opening 47 into the front end of the warming-chamber 48 and is heated during the passage therethrough by the heat from the superimposed fire-chamber 51. Thence the warmed air enters the end flue 49, passes upwardly through the damper 50 and vertical branches 61 of the end flue 49 via the lateral openings 52 in the rear side walls of the fire-chamber 51 into the latter chamber just above and around the burner 53 therein, from whence the flame or consuming medium traverses the fire-chamber, heating the ceiling or roof thereof, and consequently the floor or bottom of the incinerating-chamber above, as well as the ceiling of the warming-chamber 48 below, and after passing through the checker-brick 54 and through the lateral openings 55, the vertical side fiues 56, and the lateral openings 57 the flame or consuming .medium enters the front end of the incineratingchamber 58 from both sides thereof, thereby uniting and forming an eddying current of flame or consuming medium, which circulates over and around the body to be consumed. After the consuming medium shall have traversed the entire length of the incineratingchamber, from the front to the rear thereof, the same enters the vertical upper flue 59 and passes thence to the rear end of the combustion -chamber 60 and therethrough to the IIO chimney, the exit being regulated by the damper 14 in the chimney.

It will be understood that the furnace will preferably be raised to a bright-red heat before the body to be cremated is introduced, which introduction is effected by raising the outside or mask door 7 and the furnace-door 23 and passing the body through the open: ings 5 and 20 into the incinerating-chamber 58 and thereupon lowering said doors in the usual manner.

It is not desired to confine this invention to the specific construction, combination, and arrangement of parts herein shown and described, and the right is reserved to make all such changes in and modifications of the same as come within the spirit and scope of the invention.

We claim 1. Afurnace provided with an incineratingchamber having imperforate walls, floor, and roof, a fire-chamber below and in operative relation thereto and having a burner in one end thereof, the other end of said chamber having communications with one end of the incinerating-chamber and a combustion-chamber above and in operative relation to said incinerating-chamber and having communications with the other end of the latter.

2. A furnace provided with an incineratingchamber, a fire-chamber therebelow and heating the same, acorn bustion-chamber above the incinerating-chamber and heating the latter and communications only at the ends of each of said chambers for passing the consuming medium successively through said fire, incinerating and combustion chamber.

3. A furnace provided with an incineratingchamber, a combustion-chamber thereabove, a fire-chamber below the incinerating-chamber, a warming-chamber below the fire-chamber, each of said chambers having imperforate walls, fioors and tops and flues connecting the ends of said chambers whereby the medium is compelled to traverse each of said chambers from one end to the other.

i. A furnace provided with an incineratingchamber having imperforate side walls, floor and top, a fire-chamber having imperforate side walls, fioor and top, a warming-chamber having imperforate side walls, floor and top and flues connecting the ends of said chambers, whereby the medium is compelled to traverse the chambers from one end to the other.

5. A furnace provided with an incineratingchamber closed except at the ends thereof, a fire-chamber therebelow closed except at the ends thereof, a warming-chamber below the fire-chamber, and flues connecting the eduction end of the warming-chamber with the induction end of the fire-chamber, connecting the eduction'end of the fire-chamber with the induction end of the incinerating-chamber, whereby the medium traverses each of said chambers successively.

6. A furnace provided with an incineratingchamber, a fire-chamber therebelow, a vertical flue connecting the eduction end of the firechamber with the induction end of the incinerating-chamber, a warming-chamber below the fire-chamber, said chambers being closed except at the ends thereof, and a vertical flue connecting the eductionend of the warmingchamber with the induction end of the firechamber, whereby the medium is compelled to traverse the warming, fire and incinerating chambers, respectively from one end to the other.

7. A furnace provided with an incineratingchamber, a superimposed combustion-chainher, a fire-chamber below the incineratingchamber, a warming-chamber below the firechamber, each of said chambers being closed except at the ends thereof and being provided with connecting-fines, whereby the draft is compelled to traverse said warming, fire, incinerating and combustion chambers successively from one end to the other.

8. Afurnace provided with an incineratingchamber imperforate' except at the ends thereof, a fire-chamber imperforate except at the ends of the same, a branched vertical flue connecting the open eduction end of said firechamber with the open induction end of said incinerating chamber, a warming chamber imperforate except at the ends thereof and a vertical branched flue connecting the open eduction end of said warming-chamber with the open induction end of said fire-chamber, whereby'the draft is compelled to traverse said warming, fire and incinerating chambers successively from one end to theother.

In testimony whereof we have signed our names to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

HENRY E. BRETT. ARTHUR B. BENTON. Witnesses:

G. M. GIFFEN, L. B. ALDERETE. 

